instructional

Hi! I'm relatively new to this whole bicycling thing, or at least new to maintaining my own bicycle and replacing parts, etc.

I have a 1976 Schwinn Le Tour that I thought would be fun to ride around and fix up a bit, although it is quite heavy. Unfortunately, though, I think one of the tubes has a puncture. I've never had to buy/replace a tube before, so I was wondering if anyone had any pointers for what tube size to buy, if there's something special about buying a tube for 70s bicycles, etc. I've included some pictures of markings on the front tire that I think indicate size? unfortunately part of the numbers has chipped off and I'm not sure what was there.

It looks like the wheel size is sort of dated, and I can't find a great answer for what size wheel to buy to replace these old things, as well.

I can't add images since I haven't posted 10 times, but part of the wheel says "(32-630) and part says "27 x 1 [chipped part] K-36-08"

Thanks so much!

Pop N Wood

You can use 700c tubes in a 27" wheel

https://www.centurycycles.com/tips/t...0vice%2Dversa.

instructional

Interesting, thank you. I'll go ahead and order some of those.

I'm doing some more research and it seems like finding proper tires may be a bit difficult, but I can probably make these old things last a little while longer.

DiabloScott

You have what are nominally called 27" tires, which are obsolete but still available when you need new ones.
And yeah, 700c tubes (standard) will fit fine in 27" tires.
You almost certainly have Schrader valves in those tubes though so you should probably get the same.

Here's an example that would work fine for you:

instructional

Thanks for your reply! I do have Schrader valves on these, so I'll go ahead and order tubes with those valves.

I should probably just buy a new bike at some point, but I really love how this one looks!

stevel610 

Old bikes are awesome. Biketiresdirect.com has a good assortment of 27" tires. Usually around 14 styles. Last time I looked a couple of days ago they had 4 styles in stock. Fortunately both Schwalbe Marathons and Continental Gatorskind were both available. 27x1 1/4 (32cx630) is a good size for general riding.

instructional

That site looks great! Do you think it would be misguided to go for the Panaracer Pasela 27x1in to maintain the vintage look of the sidewalls? I'm not sure how much of a difference that 1/4in makes. The Schwalbes would be my next choice, they have good reviews, it seems.

Bill Kapaun

Do you have hook bead rims?
Older rims weren't and won't take as much pressure to blow off a tire.
Skinnier tires require higher pressure to avoid pinch flats.
I run 25mm tires on my hybrid (1") and get a lot of "road buzz" on rough textured pavement. Your street conditions dictate (to an extent) tire size selection.

stevel610 

Roughly:
27x1 = 25c
27x1 1/8 = 28c
27x1 1/4 = 32c

As stated above, wider tires can be lower pressured. Also more comfortable and lower rolling resistance.

That said, Paselas are nice tires. Just Google and you will probably find another retailer with wider ones in stock.

instructional

Did a little research on hooked vs unhooked rims, and I believe these might be hooked. It seems like there's a little overhang on the inside of the rim, that I believe would qualify as a hook. It's not flat, at least.

Thanks for your reply!

Bill Kapaun

Patch kits are less $ than tubes.
However, if these are really old tubes, then replace.
I've had problems with "really old" ones & patches. It seems that the patch would reinforce one area and the tube would stretch "differently enough" that it'd pop a pinhole near the patch.
If the bikes been sitting for a lot of tears.......

dsbrantjr

Just buy tires by the ETRTO 630 size and you will not have any issue.with rim fit, and 27 inch or 700c tubes. And keep that old bike going!

Jeff Wills

Those rims are not hooked. Hooked rims are almost always aluminum. You probably shouldn't go above 95 psi on any tire, less if you're using cheaper tires. I believe the original Schwinn "Puff" tires were rated at 75 psi max.

FWIW: a 1978 Le Tour III was my first "ten speed". It was a good, average bike for the day and served me well until it was stolen. After that I started working at the local Schwinn shop to work off my next purchase, a Schwinn Superior.

JoeTBM 

If you have an ebay account, quite a few options there on the tires you are seeking

Bike Tire 32-630


We get quite a few bikes with this tire donated into our shop, we always keep these tires and tubes on hand because most of the time the tires are dry-rotted

instructional

Thanks for the info! I guess they must not be hooked, unless someone has replaced the rims at some point, which is doubtful due to their outdated size. I was wrong about the year, though, it's a '78, not a '76. I couldn't find a serial number, but the stem has a production date of 1978 on it, I think.

I went ahead and purchased a pair of Continental Gatorskin 27 x 1 1/4. So much for the vintage look of skinwalls, but I'll be doing some riding in the city and the roads are not very pretty around me.

stevel610 

Good luck. I hope you enjoy it!